28DIGITAL Opens Applications for SPIN: Rise 2026, Calling Europe's Researchers to Transform Scientific Excellence into Real-World Impact

Free flagship programme returns after nearly 200 applications in 2025, with expanded focus on green innovation, dual-use technologies, aerospace and robotics, and health tech.

Every year, European researchers generate groundbreaking discoveries with the potential to address major societal and industrial challenges. Yet many promising innovations never progress beyond the laboratory.

Following a successful 2025 edition, 28DIGITAL is announcing today that applications are now open for SPIN: Rise 2026, its flagship programme created to help bridge that gap by equipping researchers with the entrepreneurial skills, commercialisation knowledge, and industry connections needed to unlock the full value of their work.

The call is open to researchers at universities and research institutions across the European Union and Horizon Europe associated countries, and participation is entirely free of charge for selected applicants.

“Europe’s scientific talent is extraordinary — but talent alone is not enough. The real challenge is ensuring that what our researchers discover in their labs reaches the people, industries, and markets that need it most. SPIN: Rise is how we close that gap,” said Federico Menna, CEO of 28DIGITAL.

SPIN: Rise 2026 combines three core elements: expert-led online training, personalised mentoring, and an immersive in-person bootcamp. Together, these provide researchers with practical grounding across the full commercialisation journey — from intellectual property valorisation and market validation, to business modelling, funding strategies, industry engagement, and venture creation.

Selected applicants gain full access to all training, mentoring sessions, and the bootcamp experience, as well as 28DIGITAL’s pan-European network of universities, companies, and investors.

The 2025 edition of SPIN: Rise demonstrated exceptional demand for the programme, attracting 193 applications and bringing together 121 researchers from 61 universities and research organisations spanning 23 countries.

Many alumni left the programme with concrete plans to pursue market validation, prototype development, funding applications, industry partnerships, licensing arrangements, and startup creation — translating research excellence directly into societal and economic value.

SPIN: Rise 2026 will support researchers working on innovations that contribute to Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and technological leadership across three dedicated tracks:

• Green Innovation and Sustainable Technologies — clean energy systems, circular economy solutions, advanced materials, environmental monitoring, and resource-efficient technologies.
• Dual-Use Innovation and Strategic Capabilities — advanced sensing, secure communications, resilient infrastructure, autonomous systems, edge computing, and technologies with both civilian and defence applications.
• Health Technologies and Human-Centred Innovation — diagnostics, medical devices, neurotechnology, AI-enabled healthcare solutions, advanced sensing, and human-machine interfaces.
• Aerospace and Robotics — robotics, autonomous systems, drones, space technologies, advanced sensing, and intelligent automation.

Researchers working in other emerging fields with strong disruptive potential and relevance to Europe’s technological sovereignty are also encouraged to explore available opportunities.

For more information and to apply, visit 28digital.eu/spin/rise.